The Glastonbury Revelers perform during the 2010 Des Moines Renaissance Faire. The group returns for this year's festival. / Register file photos

Written by

Joe Stych

Special to The Register

Queen Catherine (Lynne Melssen, right) and King Edward (Marty Ellenberger) settle a dispute with sword and balloons during the Des Moines Renaissance Faire in 2010.

Des Moines Renaissance Faire XI

WHERE: Sleepy Hollow Sports Park, 4051 Dean Ave., Des Moines WHEN: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday through Monday, plus Sept. 7-8 and Sept. 14-15 INFO: $8 for kids 5-12, free for kids under 5, $16 for adults. Passes are also available: $25 for any two days, $35 for an unlimited pass; www.dmrenfaire.comVENDORS: Along with the entertainment, there is plenty of food, beverages and alcohol for purchase. Food for purchase includes burgers, soups, gyros, turkey legs, smoked meats, crepes, sweets, smoothies, pizza and more

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Ready to let your imagination run wild with knights, scalla­wags and other medieval mischief? The Des Moines Renaissance Faire is celebrating its 11th season with three themed weekends of fantasy fun at Festival Park. To prepare, Greg Schmidt — producer, director and owner of the event — walked us through the must-see performances for greenhorn faire-goers between Saturday and Sept. 15.

Warwick Living History: A Des Moines-based re-enactment group that specializes in all things medieval — also will be on hand to illus­trate battle tech­niques of the Dark Ages. “These guys are real academics, and they like to get out and mix things up with the crowd,” Schmidt said. “This is the first time they have scheduled stage time for a combat demonstra­tion.”

Sept. 7-8: Scots, Britons and Irish

Time to get your European blood flowing. The can’t-miss perform­ance this year is Kevin Coble’s new Punch and Judy puppet show, a booth-based production inspired by 1600s-era street performers in London.

Along with Coble, mainstays from the Med­ieval and Renaissance Society are staging living-history presen­tations. Plus, Celtic performers Three Pints Gone will sing­ their ale-slinging folk tunes, and the McCra­kken Brothers Golf Challenge will test your proficiency with a club.

And don’t forget light­hearted blade masters Sons of the Mist. “They do live swordplay, but they do it with a comedic flair, and have a lot of fun with it,” Schmidt said.

The weekend will be musically punctuated by traditional Great Highland Bagpipes.

Show some Gaelic pride and raise a pint for “Scotland the Brave.”

Sept. 14-15: Pirates, Scallywags and Buccaneers

Beware: Landlubbers will walk the plank this weekend. But for seafar­ing folk, there’s a treas­ure trove of entertain­ment to be had. The Bawdy Buccaneers return this year with their crude comedic style and swordplay that carves out new meaning of “the battle of the sexes.”

Also be on the lookout for mystical newcomer Katia the Blue Rose Mermaid; she’s the best singing, red-headed mermaid you’ll meet this side of Disney World.

“The story is that the pirates captured her, trapped her in the tank and now she’s asking the children to help her,” Schmidt said.

Beyond that, the animatronic Mister Bones will make an appearance, plus the merchants will don their best eye patches and ruffled shirts for the high-seas celebration.